The United States has long justified its support for Egyptian security services as necessary for the security and stability of Egypt and the region. Yet the means by which the Egyptian security services operate include arbitrarily arresting and torturing some of the most vulnerable members of the population – children. Now, with the coronavirus sweeping through the Middle East and conditions for children in detention ripe for a public health crisis, the situation is more dire than ever.

Saudi Arabia has banned the death sentence for minors, its state-backed Human Rights Commission said in a statement on Sunday. It is the latest in a series of reforms pushed forward by the Saudi royal family.